Chapman: Composition 1

Essay #2: Personal Profile

Rough draft due: Monday, March 5

Final essay due: Monday, March 19

Our next major essay is the Personal Profile. Based on Chapter 19 (p. 224) in NFG, you will write your own personal profile. The Norton Field Guide features a number of personal profiles, which are windows into a person’s character revealed through description, action, and dialogue. Each profile reveals character traits based on the details the author reveals. I do like the one about the fighter pilot on 9-11 that begins the chapter.

For this assignment, you need to decide on an interesting character you would like to profile, and then reveal that character through words and actions. A profile doesn’t give you the scope of a person’s life, just a slice of his or her life that reflects his or her character. Remember, character isn’t always positive. Think of people you have encountered in your life: teachers, siblings, parents, friends, coworkers, Quick Trip clerks, etc. Anyone can be a potential subject.

For example, I could profile a worker at my local Price Chopper. I would focus on his kind and uplifting character, not give the entire biography of his life. I know a little about him—his name is Billy, he is mentally challenged in some way, but I’m not sure how. He can carry on a conversation, but not really much beyond the weather. He has been employed there for as long as I’ve lived in Liberty, which is a very long time. He’s always been the cart guy. He often wears a hat with a duck bill, and he wears a whistle around his neck that quacks like a duck. Kids at the grocery store love him. They are drawn to him. In fact, the other day I watched a toddler engage him in a quick hello before turning to her mother and saying, “Mom, I love him.”

So to flesh out what I know about him, I might ask his coworkers or maybe the manager what makes Billy special. I could interview a mom about Billy’s quirky personality that makes a daunting trip to the grocery store a little less nightmarish. I might observe him, in a non-creepy way, interact with others. I’d consider his job, too; how many teenagers would remain at Price Chopper as the cart person? It’s a thankless job. But for this store, Billy has made it his own.

Chapters 19 and 66 will offer guidance, too. If you’re stuck, just pay attention to the people you meet. Like I mentioned, folks you don’t know really well are sometimes easier.

The final essay should be 800-1,000 words and in MLA format. The paper is worth 100 points.